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News >>> July 18 - 31, 2010

NEWS

Philippines starts graft probe into ex-president

TRUTH SEEKERS: Efforts to make ex-President Gloria Arroyo and her allies accountable for irregularities under her watch, including the "Hello Garci" election fraud scandal, have officially started with the formal creation of the "Philippine Truth Commission of 2010."

The world's biggest rice importer, the Philippines, is now "swimming" in the staple grain because of massive imports by the previous government that drove world prices to record highs and possibly enriched corrupt officials. With government-run warehouses full and some flood-damaged rice stocks rotting, the National Food Authority, the state-run grain importer, has stopped new import orders for this year and asked Vietnam to delay its shipments until September, the agency's administrator Lito Banayo said

Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will investigate traders and officials involved in the massive importation of rice to ensure that the government gets its fair share of taxes from the transactions...

The BIR will also go after heirs to substantial estates not paying the proper tax...Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said the BIR would check whether traders, who took part in the rice importation, had paid the proper taxes...“There are substantial gains there given the volume of imports done,” he said. “We will do a lifestyle check of all those involved in the importation of rice.”... In addition, the BIR will check on accountants, lawyers and banks who may be helping tax evaders, Purisima said.Accreditation of accountants with the BIR will be reviewed considering that many companies’ books are audited by a single person when such undertaking needs a large staff.“If [auditors] sign financial statements blindly, we have various courses to address that,” Purisima said.“This may involve filing cases against accountants and even lawyers who may have acted as accomplices to tax evasion,” he said...Purisima said a similar monitoring of banks was being planned, especially those which allow companies to use a “second book” for credit purposes.He was referring to the practice of unscrupulous firms that keep one book for the taxman and another for creditors...Purisima also warned banks against allowing the heirs of rich people to close bank accounts without them paying the 20-percent estate tax.

Go after "big fishes," not "dwarf gobies," BoC urged

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo to put into action anti-corruption drive

SYDNEY MORNING HERALD: "Corazon Aquino stepped up after her senator husband was assassinated. She ran for president and won. If her son is to succeed, his immediate focus must be three things: corruption, corruption, corruption."

Impeachment hearing vs Ombudsman to be fair - solon

PROBE PANELS will be formed to look into all anomalies listed by President Benigno C. Aquino III during the State of the Nation Address (SONA), Justice Secretary Leila M. de Lima said yesterday. "[The panels] will be composed of investigators from the [National Bureau of Investigation], lawyers, with the assistance of prosecutors,"...

TRUTH COMMISSION DOOMED: Senator Joker Arroyo, a lawyer, warned President Benigno Aquino III that creating a truth commission through an executive order would be futile because it would suffer from a legal infirmity.

OMBUDSMAN orderssuspension of six officials of Commission on Elections (Comelec) in connection with canceled P690-million contract for ballot secrecy folders in elections.

GOVERNMENT CASTES WIDER NET: Officials announced filing of a new tax evasion case against officials of construction company said to owe government a little over P68 million in income and value-added taxes for 2006 as it targets more sectors in drive to raise tax collections, announcing probes directed at rice traders, accountants and contractors plus a bid to entice estate tax payments.

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima has directed the Commission on Audit (COA) to examine the books of government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) as well as government financial institutions (GFIs), with June 30, 2010, as the cut-off date.

Former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will cooperate in the investigation of the soon-to-be-formed Truth Commission

DOJ to have hands full probing agencies

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR: Benigno Aquino delivered his first State of the Nation Address on Monday as president of the Philippines, reciting a litany of wrongdoings allegedly committed by the previous administration. He promised that his government would follow a straighter path but gave few specifics on how he plans to clean up government and balance the books.

Aquino vows clean gov't after Arroyo's alleged anomalies

A lawmaker representing the first district of Laguna sought an investigation of a holder of a small town lottery (STL) franchise in the province amid reports of its failure to remit earnings to the government.

Nothing illegal in Arroyo gov't spending only 'imbalance' - Palace

The planned truth commission will look exclusively into the gravest cases of graft and corruption committed during a specific period - the nine-year Arroyo administration.

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE to have hands full probing agencies

Ombudsman orders probe of anomalies in government agencies

TO AQUINO: Fight moral, spiritual corruption - Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)

Bureau of Customs (BOC) eyeing use of drawer-less tables, installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to combat corruption, particularly the so-called "open drawer" racket among erring customs personnel

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has asked the Commission on Audit (COA) to investigate alleged anomalies involving the excessive bonuses and benefits of board members of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).

Six mayors in the second district of Pampanga, along with the provincial governor, stood as a group on Saturday to defend former President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from insinuations made by President Benigno Aquino III that their towns were recipients of calamity funds in "shocking quantities" towards the end of the Arroyo administration.

Venture capitalists or true believers? Only 308 donors funded campaign for presidency

“Donations are seen in the same light as bribery” says a prominent business leader...The trouble is that these perceptions have been proven right a number of times that they taint well-meaning donors who are giving money out of conviction rather than expectation of future gain...Donations also come mostly in the form of cash, contrary to the international best practice of conducting all transactions through one banking account, especially in countries where banking is pervasive. “People come here to my office with bags full of cash that they leave here,” says a fund-raiser, pointing to a corner of his office...

For taking bribe, prosecutor gets 4 years in prison

National Economic Protectionism Association (NEPA) president Bayan de la Cruz: ...on its own, the anti-corruption platform will not immediately translate to the reduction of the budget deficit as corruption is deeply ingrained in almost all economic and governmental activities..."Going after plunderers and big-time grafters will most probably get bogged down in the judiciary system. And if the Marcos and the PCGG experience is any guide, it will take decades before any verdict is handed down, and not necessarily to the interests of justice for the people."

Philip Morris offers new technology to curb smuggling

Political dynasties foster corruption says lawmaker

Former special prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio, who had a very public and acrimonious rift with Gutierrez toward the end of his seven-year term, on Friday said he would testify, if asked, to the alleged sins of Gutierrez at the congressional hearings in the latest impeachment case filed against the embattled Ombudsman.

"Arroyo left empty coffers" >>> Aquino says his Sona to bare 5 shocking anomalies

Beware the crooked officials >>> Sri Mulyani Indrawati was so successful in prosecuting tax evaders and sending them to jail that some of those who suffered from her anti-corruption campaign ganged up against her, harassing her with all sorts of accusations that she was eventually forced to resign and to accept a very high position at the World Bank as one of the three Managing Directors.

Newsbreak offers Investigative Reporting Fellowships on Health

Using technology to fight corruption

Legarda wants probe on use of climate change funds >>> "Climate change financing must be shielded from corruption risks. Poor governance must not weaken the government's efforts to fight climate change,"

Bayan Patrollers want freedom from poverty and corruption, a government that serves them, and a chance to improve their lot - possibly mirroring what typical Filipinos would say out loud if they had the chance to tell President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III

Be the solution, Former Pampanga provincial governor, Father Eduardo Eddie Panlilio tells Philippine students >>> In an address on prospects for changing Philippine politics and society, Father Panlilio said that reforms he introduced in Pampanga showed that it is "possible to have transparency, accountability, people participation, respect for ecology, humility and dignity in public service."

De Lima reverses Agra dismissal of trafficking raps vs 20 BI workers

Allies believe Arroyo is innocent

Bribe emissary surfaces

Graft raps set vs Cebu mayor

Lakas: Bid to dissolve House body linked to SCTex scam

CHARGES filed against a customs officer for falsifying Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) after failing to declare he owned luxury vehicle and had secured a P2-million loan from the Government Service Insurance System

Visiting British Foreign Office Minister of State Jeremy Browne today urged President Benigno Aquino III to live up to his pledge to institute reforms in the government, fight corruption, and improve the country's investment climate

Proponents of Ombudsman ouster to file impeach rap

Legal notes on impeaching the Ombudsman >>> This document seeks to answer the following questions: 1. Whether there is legal basis for the filing of an impeachment complaint against Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez; 2. Whether the same allegations that were filed during 14th Congress can be used as the basis of a new complaint, and; 3. Whether double jeopardy is applicable.

Aquino slams critics, defends appointment of Abads

Senators urge Aquino not to meddle in affairs of judiciary, Senate

As part of the Aquino government's crackdown on corruption, all public offices will be audited, starting with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR), where a number of suspicious cash disbursements have been discovered recently.

IT expert faces fraud raps

OPINION

Stake in Aquinos anti-graft drive >>> In this deeply divided country, the corruption discourse is and will remain disarmingly powerful because it expresses one of those rare, seemingly universally shared goals that manages to bring people together from different parties, political persuasions and classes...Whether President Aquino is aware of it or not, each of his actions or pronouncements regarding corruption - what he considers corrupt and not corrupt, who he persecutes and doesn't persecute - will be an attempt to fix the disputed boundaries in one place instead of another, according to his personal or class interests and/or moral convictions. Where that place will be is not just an inconsequential philosophical question: it will decide what is allowed and not allowed, what is seen as moral and immoral, who gets jailed, who gets perceived as clean, who gets to keep their hacienda, who stays poor and how. Where the boundaries are drawn will determine, after all, how the promise of the corruption discourse can be achieved: Either poverty will be reduced because, with everyone following the procedures, there might be more money to pass around; but with the dominant still having the ultimate say in what and how much gets passed around, allowing them to tell the dominated to be grateful for the charity. Or, poverty will be alleviated because, if everyone used public office only for public gain, then everyone would be closer to getting what they rightfully deserve.

Midnight deals
The Philippine Star -  July 30, 2010
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After President Aquino announced that the previous administration had tried to award P3.5 billion worth of flood control projects without bidding just five days before the handover of power, the new chief of the Department of Public Works and Highways canceled 19 of the 86 deals. The 19, involving P934 million, were the ones that came closest to pushing through.

Apart from canceling the deals, the new administration must go through the list of contractors that were awarded the projects, to see if any should be placed on   a black list. Negotiated deals cannot be won without the right connections; the new administration must also identify every DPWH official who was involved in awarding the contract...

Click here to read full editorial

Why Aquino won't be able to send grafters to prison WITH THE Aquino administration starting to fulfill its campaign promise to eradicate corruption and send corrupt public officials to prison, it may be most fitting to take a closer look at the Ombudsman...As a private organization with goals of achieving transparency, public accountability and good governance, CPA filed cases of corruption against local and national officials...Since the time of Ombudsman Aniano Desierto, the Office of the Ombudsman has been conducting interminable preliminary investigations. This, despite the specific provision in Sec. 12, Article XI of our Constitution mandating the Ombudsman and his deputies, as protectors of the people, to "act promptly on complaints . . ." The term "promptly" among prosecutors in the Department of Justice means resolving a complaint in 90 days, within which a case may be filed in court or dismissed for lack of merit or probable cause. Based on our experience, the Ombudsman takes three to seven years of preliminary investigation. After seven or eight years, most likely a case is dismissed despite supporting evidence from COA. In some instances, cases are filed before the Sandiganbayan after seven years, then (without a benefit of a trial), a motion for reinvestigation by a defendant is entertained. The same prosecutors who filed the case, notwithstanding the same incontrovertible evidence, would then recommend to the anti-graft court to dismiss the case and exonerate the accused. CPA also continues to receive information that the resolution of graft cases is deliberately delayed to accommodate accused prominent politicians who allegedly pay "tuition fees" for the delay. When the prying eyes of the media relax, they go for the dismissal of the case(s)... We, therefore, recommend that President Aquino order an inventory of cases pending before the Ombudsmans office and make a public disclosure as to the nature of alleged crimes, amount of public funds involved, status of the cases as of date and the estimated time/target date of resolution. We, the taxpayers need to know how the Ombudsman performs as protector of the people and how it resolves cases. It is our basic right to be informed. We have faith in the sincerity of President Aquino and we have so much hope that he will uphold transparency and accountability in government. But with the same Ombudsman, we doubt that his administration can put the grafters in prison. Something, therefore, must be done. BOBBY BRILLANTE, convenor, Campaign for Public Accountability (CPA),

Why Fighting Corruption is not Enough (extract) >>> by Walden Bello, INQUIRER.net After nine years of witnessing increasing poverty among the masses and spiraling corruption in high places, it is understandable that Filipinos see a strong correlation between corruption and poverty. And the judgment of many is probably correct that the candidates that are free of the taint of corruption stand the best chance of turning this country around. Moral leadership may not be a sufficient condition for successful leadership but it certainly has become a necessary condition in a country that has been so deprived of exemplary public figures like the Philippines. Corruption, however, has become the explanation for all our ills, and this brings with it the danger that, after the elections, campaign rhetoric might substitute for hard analysis on the causes of poverty, leading to wrong, ineffectual prescriptions for dealing with the countrys number one problem. Let me be more explicit: Corruption must be condemned and corrupt officials must be prosecuted because being a violation of public trust, corruption undermines faith in government and leads to an erosion of the moral bonds among citizens that serve as the foundation of good governance. Corruption, however, is unlikely to be the main cause of poverty. Wrongheaded policies are, and clean-cut technocrats have been responsible for more poverty than corrupt politicians.

Unreformed Politics in Congress Threaten the Transparency Drive >>> "While more than 70 percent of our people are poor, more than 80 percent of the elected representatives in Congress and presidency belong to the exclusive multimillionaires club, based on their own declared assets and liabilities," says CenPeg...Observers claim, many lawmakers make their gains and excesses through the multimillion-peso pork barrel, which is for wholly discretionary spending. It is widely seen as an old style fiscal instrument still employed in the budget that helps to foster continuing graft and corruption...the use of pork barrel funds allows ample opportunities to defraud the state by irregular contracting procedures; by inflating prices or by agreeing and securing kick-backs where the winning contractor will illegally return a percentage of the funds paid out.

‘Business Fighting Corruption’

By Ramon del Rosario Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer


WHILE IT WAS “WALANG WANG-WANG” THAT resonated best with most of us, I think the statement of President Noynoy Aquino in his inaugural address that did most to define his administration was his declaration that there can be no reconciliation without justice. This set the context for his administration’s central theme: Kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap. To those whose advice was that unity is paramount and we must now move forward instead of looking back, the President’s response was: By all means, let us all move forward, hand in hand, each doing his part, but let us do so while bringing to justice those who have wronged our country and our countrymen. For to fail to do so, he said, ensures that these transgressions will be repeated.

The President then moved swiftly to give teeth to this thrust, first by his inspired move to name lawyer Leila de Lima as justice secretary. De Lima’s universally acclaimed appointment brings hope that the Department of Justice will once again be a reliable instrument in the prosecution of crime and the pursuit of justice.

The second move was the announcement of the formation of a Truth Commission to be headed by former Chief Justice Hilario Davide. The reaction to the Davide appointment was mixed. While I personally continue to hold Justice Davide in high regard, I would have preferred to see someone appointed in the mold of Jose W. Diokno in his prime, when he successfully brought Harry Stonehill to justice decades ago; but it is extremely difficult to find one like Diokno now.

As we await the definition and the formation of the Truth Commission, I hope its scope and functions will be clearly defined and well-focused so that it can satisfactorily complete its work within the term of President Aquino. I for one think its focus must be corruption and only corruption at the national level during the Arroyo administration. I believe there is nothing that will assure its failure more than a poorly defined or overly broad mandate where the scope is so vast and ill-defined that its work will drag on for decades like the PCGG’s. I hope too that to ensure the acceptability of the commission’s output, the commissioners appointed will be persons of unquestioned competence and probity.

As the government moves forward in its anti-corruption drive, I believe it is appropriate that we in the private sector seriously consider what we should do to participate meaningfully in this effort. After all, corruption is by no means limited to the government sector, and we have considerable cleaning up to do ourselves.

It was very timely therefore that last June 24, the Asian Institute of Management’s Center for Corporate Governance convened a round-table discussion on a proposed project aimed at “Promoting Integrity and Accountability in Business.” The proposed project would have two objectives:

To strengthen awareness and understanding of the social and economic costs of corruption among Philippine businesses and to generate their support for anti-corruption efforts, and

To strengthen the ability of Philippine enterprises, including small and medium-sized companies, to prevent corrupt and other unethical behavior among their employees.

With Transparency International co-founder Michael Hershman leading the discussion on collective action in the fight against corruption, the major business organizations were well represented by their current or past heads. While the group recognized that fighting corruption within our ranks would by no means be easy, we also readily agreed that the onset of the Aquino administration provides us an outstanding opportunity to finally do something about this paramount problem that is diverting scarce national resources from needed infrastructure and social projects, and causing our enterprises to be uncompetitive against the rest of the world.

We agreed that the President and our most senior government officials must lead the way, first by appointing persons of unquestioned competence and integrity to the key government agencies, and then by aggressively prosecuting and punishing prominent crooks like those involved in the ZTE deal and the fertilizer scam. For our part, we agreed to support AIM’s multi-faceted approach to combating corruption in the Philippine business community, whose core activity will be a series of anti-corruption workshops in cities across the country, specifically for small and medium-sized businesses which collectively constitute 99 percent of registered businesses and employ roughly 70 percent of the workforce in the Philippines, and which are deemed to be more likely to be vulnerable to corruption risks.

As the first step, we hope to secure formal support from the business community by obtaining signed pledges from prominent businesses to abide by ethical business practices and to support a national fight against corruption. Hopefully, the signatories will be the CEOs themselves. It is hoped that the effort will help raise awareness of this anti-corruption initiative and will help build momentum for the project. The first 50 signatories will be designated as charter members of the campaign, which AIM proposes to call Business Fighting Corruption.

Our intention is to publicly sign these initial pledges at a meeting of the business community, which we hope will be graced by President Aquino. Thus do we hope to formalize our commitment to be part of his campaign against corruption.

Ramon R. del Rosario Jr. is the chairman of the Makati Business Club. Please send your comments to rrdelrosario@hotmail.com.ph.

Stopping the tanks
                                                         Philippine Daily Inquirer, 07/21/2010

For the presidential candidacy of Benigno Aquino III, “reliving” the spirit of People Power was not only motive power but also campaign promise. Tuesday’s commentary by former NEDA director Dennis Arroyo, a survey of “best practices” in anti-corruption initiatives in Asia, offered an insightful look into the many ways in which People Power can be put to work in the challenge of good governance.

While the study acknowledged the leadership role of Philippine non-government organizations in the region—a direct result of the anti-dictatorship struggle and the post-Marcos Constitution’s recognition of NGOs and people’s organizations—it took a closer look at other initiatives by other NGOs in Asia, as lessons the Philippines can learn from.

Of the many themes binding the various lessons, we think the following three in particular are most instructive:

The centrality of information. The survey recognizes the vital importance of continuing access to complete and current information involving government activity. The Open or Online Procedures Enhancement system for civil applications of Seoul, South Korea, for instance, allows the public to monitor “the contents of the application, approval time of the application, administrative procedures, names of the officials assigned to the applications, and their contact numbers.”

In Bangladesh, the survey notes, the Roads and Highways Department’s website discloses “much information on infrastructure projects: road and bridge data, names of personnel, financial project information, the contractor database, the tender database, the document database. It also includes audit reports. Every month the site updates financial and physical information on all of the department’s infrastructure projects.”

For these innovative governance measures to take root, and to take effect, in the Philippines, the access to information promised by the Constitution and reflected in the proposed Freedom of Information Act must become policy.

The importance of comparison. The survey highlighted several Asian initiatives, under the rubric of “social audits,” that allow a concerned public to compare what a particular government agency said it would do and what it actually ended up doing.

The Parivartan NGO in India, for instance, “has reviewed 68 public works in Northeast Delhi via hearings, and it has found that many roads exist only on paper. Proof in Bangalore has persuaded the city government to release quarterly public statements on financial performance. These statements compare revenues and expenditures with the original budget estimates.”

Philippine NGOs have also done similar social audits. What seems lacking from these well-intentioned programs, however, is another kind of comparison. As we only know all too well, it isn’t enough to compare a government unit’s budget with actual spending, because the cost of corruption is often already factored into the budget assumptions and estimates. What is needed is to compare, say, a government unit’s standards in building a classroom or laying down a kilometer of road, with the competitive standards of the private sector.

The necessity of sanctions. The real object of the initiatives included in the survey is improved governance. In other words, “reliving” the spirit of People Power does not mean, say, transparency for transparency’s sake; it means assertively using transparency to make change happen.

When we read, for instance, that “Because the NGO Lok Satta has organized citizens to monitor fuel bunks, cheating at the pump has effectively stopped in all the 1,500 gasoline stations of Andhra Pradesh, India,” we can see the direct relationship between monitoring and the effective end of cheating.

In the Philippine setting, it seems almost a given that this direct relationship between people-powered initiative and actual government reform requires the use of sanctions or even punitive measures. Many government officials have failed the so-called lifestyle checks. But how many have been removed from office or convicted of corruption? Many candidates have failed to meet the Commission on Elections deadline for submitting campaign spending reports, or have submitted evidently spurious accounts, but has anyone ever been disqualified from office?

As in Edsa 1986, People Power means not only monitoring troop movements or setting up a rival source of information, but actually and essentially stopping the tanks.

Integrity?

What fertilizer scam

MORE OPINION
 
President Aquino’s anti-corruption agenda

By Manuel A. Alcuaz Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer

How can P-Noy reverse the culture of corruption that has been one of the main themes of the Arroyo administration?

Corruption has become so pervasive and expensive that we sometimes long for the good old “10 percenters” of the Marcos era. Perhaps that is why the Marcoses have had election success.

This culture of corruption is not just in the government sector.

A foreign friend of mine who sells medical equipment once asked me what was wrong with the Philippines.

I asked why? He said that the doctors in hospitals where he was selling medical equipment had asked for a 30-percent commission! No wonder that the cost of medical care keeps on rising, becoming unbearable for rich and poor alike.

What is sad is that these are doctors are not underpaid government officials and employees!

Government is, however, still more corrupt. My friend was also selling to a municipal hospital. He said the mayor had called him to complain about his proposal. My friend said, “But Mayor, I already gave you my best price.” The mayor said, “double it!”

Bringing honesty back to the Philippines will be a tough job for President Aquino. What should he do?

There are four major thrusts that the President should have:

1. Bring closure to major outstanding anomalous cases.

2. Identify other major anomalous projects.

3. Prevent future anomalies.

4. Discourage corruption and dishonesty

Closure on outstanding anomalies

There are many unresolved anomalies, which the Arroyo administration has protected.

In 2004, the Supreme Court stopped the Mega Pacific Comelec automation contract and recommended that charges be filed.

Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez said there was insufficient evidence.

There are many others, like the fertilizer scam, NBN-ZTE, Hello Garci, etc.

To be able to successfully prosecute these cases, it may be necessary to first impeach the Ombudsman.

Investigation of other anomalies

There are a number of giant government procurements that look anomalous.

One case is the Comelec Smartmatic Automated Election System. A serious investigation will show that there was bias in favor of Smartmatic in the bid evaluation, contract terms, and failure to properly test the PCOS machines.

The continued importation of rice should likewise be investigated.

The P500-million Batangas Geographic Information System (GIS) project and the P50-million Pampanga GIS project should likewise be looked into.

I am not familiar with public works projects; however, I feel that investigation will uncover numerous cases.

Amendment of the Procurement Reform Law

While it has been said that we have many good laws, what we need is better implementation.

There is one big exception, the RA 9184 or the Procurement Reform Law. Many of the anomalous projects we have mentioned were made possible by taking advantage of many weaknesses of the law.

The law has the following weaknesses:

1. Section 32 provides for pass or fail criteria and the selection of the lowest qualified bidder (looks good!)

2. But Section 36 provides for bids with a single qualified bidder to push through.

Corrupt bidders and officials take advantage of these procedures to favor a bidder not necessarily with the lowest bid but one with the highest bribes.

Section 33 provides for weighted scoring in the choice of consultants. However, the process does not provide for a comparison of all the bidders.

All bidders are rated but the law does not allow the opening of all the financial bids. The technical bids are rated and ranked. The qualifications of the bidders are checked for qualification.

The financial bid of the qualified bidder with highest rating is opened first. If the bid is within the budget, the bid is awarded.

Unfortunately, there could have been much more cost-effective bids, which were not considered. This is a lost opportunity for government.

Prevention of future graft

An administration with the political will to investigate and prosecute anomalous government procurement will discourage future anomalous bids.

Bidders and government officials will not risk being caught.

Government will get better value and be able to provide better infrastructure, health care and education at lower cost.

Businesses will thrive and provide increased employment. Poverty will be dramatically reduced.

(The article reflects the personal opinion of the author and does not reflect the official stand of the Management Association of the Philippines. The author is President of Systems Sciences Consult, Inc. and member of the MAP National Issues Committee. )

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Ehem -- the anti-corruption initiative of the Philippine Jesuits echoes the urgent call for cultural reform against corruption in the Philippines.
Ehem aims at bringing people to a renewed sensitivity to the evil of corruption and its prevalence in ordinary life. It seeks ultimately to make them more intensely aware of their own vulnerability to corruption, their own uncritiqued, often unwitting practice of corruption in daily life.
Ehem hopes to bring people, in the end, to a commitment to live the way of Ehemplo --- critical of corruption, intent on integrity!
 
Management Association of the Philippines 
MAP is a management organization committed to promoting management excellence. The members of the MAP represent a cross-section of CEOs, COOs and other top executives from the top local and multinational companies operating in the country, including some top officials of government and the academe.

iPro supports the process of reducing corruption by seeking synergies between Government of the Republic of the Philippines agencies and civil society at all levels.

 
 
This website primarily serves to gather for research and educational purposes in one single place news and information specifically pertinent to integrity and corruption in the Philippines. The news items, views, editorials and opinions summarized or reported on this website are taken from the general media and reputable blogs, websites, etc., and are exclusively the responsibility of the original sources and/or authors. In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work on this website is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only. Ref: http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html
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